Monday, July 28, 2008

Monday Musings

I don't feel well. Poor pitiful me...I have a sore throat. BOO! But I did still manage to have a fabulous weekend. I took the children to visit G.G. (my grandmother - we had grilled cheese, peaches and watermelon - yum!) then we went to see Wall-E. I have to say that I generally love the Disney-Pixar films, and this one was no exception. CUTE movie - definitely kid-ish enough to keep the munchkins' attention, while still having an adult-enough message and lots of humorous parts that cracked me up, too.

Then we visited with my parents - well, my mom (Dad was asleep - see that picture of him in my sidebar? Yeah. He sleeps a good bit ;) ) - and the kidlets ended up spending the night. I came home and watched "Definitely, Maybe" and half of "The Bucket List" - both very good...but I'll finish "The Bucket List" tonight while I'm cleaning house. Yep. It's time to come off the domestic strike. It lasted a good 6 weeks, though - something to be proud of, I think. HA HA HA HA...my house is being shown to some potential buyers tomorrow evening, so I need to at least get the majority of the dog hair off the floor. In reality, I've done pretty well with the house-keeping matters the last 2 weeks...and even tackled 5 loads of laundry this weekend, including bed sheets.

Carsie will be 3 on Friday. My birthday is Saturday. (For those wondering, I will be 29...for the 3rd time ;) ) - Fair warning. I have no plans...well, Carson wants to go to Los Palmas for her birthday, which will surely happen, and I would prefer to eat sushi with someone who won't gag at the thought of it. This rules out a good number of my friends...which is unfortunate...so I may have to rethink that - unless something comes up and snatches the sushi-potential right up off the table.

Happy Monday...I MUST get to work now. I actually need to post a picture - so this post will probably be edited later today.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Thank you, Friday...

Thank you, Friday - for coming, without fail, every week.

This week has been full of normal happy life things - week 2 of Carson wearing panties (insert jumping-up-&-down Mommy HERE), dinners and conversations with the two most important people in my lives about things like "Why do we measure things?" and I had dinner with a (single) girlfriend at Schroeder's last night with the munchkins and they wanted to know "Does she wear panties?" "Does she have boobies?" Um, yeah. She does wear panties (I guess, I've never checked?) and yes, she has boobies...though, again, never really paid too much attention to that.

But, this week has also been filled with sad things. Our free-spirited and much loved Australian Shepherd (Gretchen) got out of the fence (AGAIN!) and was hit by a car. She is no longer with us, and while I still have my Springer Spaniel (Bella), it's strange at the house without Gretchie...sigh. Losing a pet is SO hard...and I've had other pets die, or have to be put down, and even though I've done it before, it's really hard all over again.

Anyway, according to Carson, though, Gretchie is up in Dog Heaven...and she gets to visit "Poppy" (her grandfather, who passed in December) and they have tea with God on Sundays at God's "castle"...seeing as he is the "King" of Heaven. Obviously, you all knew this, right?

So, I'm glad it's Friday. Work has still been good this week, but I'm in need of a break - and I finished my cute Amy Butler Kimono robe (pictures coming, I promise...) and have been perusing my stash for more projects to pursue this weekend. C & C Music Factory may end up spending the night with Grandmomma or Gigi (great-grandma) this weekend - I need to clean the house, and sleep late... ;)

Hope your weekend brings peace & refreshment!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Does it rain in space?

The answer, obviously, is no. But this was the question of the day yesterday from Cole. SO SMART! And then we had a discussion about how it rains water on the planet Earth, but it rains other things on other planets, and the reason it doesn't rain in space is because there are no "clouds" in space. This, of course, led to the series of "WHY?" questions. "WHY are there no clouds in space?" etc. etc.

I have little to say today, but I got a good hour of sewing time in last night, which was nice. Pictures soon. I have to get this nifty device that my dad has - it's a memory stick that you can plug your camera's memory card into. MUCH nicer than fiddling with the wire. I had a computer with a card reader on it - but that computer is now in a new home in Alabama, and I'm without a home computer or internet access (or cable TV for that matter), which is really fine. I get enough of the computer at work.

SO, I've been taking little breaks at work to check out some fun sewing blogs. My fabe is stacysews.com, sewliberated.com and there's a few others I'll update on my blog list soon!

Monday, July 21, 2008

sushi & co-pays & drugs...OH-MY!!!

These are the things on my mind this morning.
SUSHI - Rome is in desparate need of a good sushi joint. We have this place called Sumo - but frankly, the sushi is a little freaky...every time I've eaten it there it's not cold...ick. We ARE getting a Ru San's (woo hoo) but for the moment, I have to settle for our newly-facelifted Kroger's sushi chef. Last night I went and got me some tuna/salmon/crab with cream cheese roll and another assortment. It was really good, but I ate BOTH packages...ugh. STUFFED...STILL, like 18 hours later.

CO-PAYS - I was a Georgia State Employee in my last job, before I took a little 6 month hiatus. So I get my first paycheck in my NEW job, and notice that they are charging me for the family medical & dental plan I had at my old job. I was supposed to be able to choose what I wanted, AND, I'm paying for insurance I don't even have! ugh. So, I got the most fabulous personnel/HR person at the Ga. Public Defender Standards Council. (I know, that sounds oxymoronic, but it's very true and I'm SO grateful) and she's fixing it up for me ;) My co-pays will stay the same. I got us covered under everything i wanted to get us covered under, and I even get like a $100 refund for part of what I paid on the last paycheck. Fabulocity.

DRUGS - So, I have this client who is in jail because she got arrested (for battery, marijuana and prescription drugs that weren't hers) while she was on probation, which means she can't bond out. I have to subpoena the guy who lives at the house where they found the (POUND OF) marijuana...like he's REALLY going to say "Oh, yeah, it was my pound of MJ, not hers..." duh. Tsk, tsk, tsk...I have discovered this whole undercurrent of society in my current job. These people live and die by their drug habits. Madness, I tell you.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Funny Cole-isms...

I forgot that I was going to post some funnies that Cole has come up with lately. This child NEVER stops thinking. Amazing how two children but a year apart - raised in the exact same circumstances, etc., can be polar opposites.

Cole, my logical scientist wants to know the answer to the following things:
1) How do leaves "drink" the rain water...do they ever drink KoolAid?
2) How exactly does a spider "spin" his web? Does spiderman give him the web-stuff?
3) If the itsy-bitsy-spider has 8 legs (which he does) does he have to buy shoes for ALL 8 feet? That would be 4 pairs of shoes? And does he buy 4 pairs of the SAME shoes or 4 odd-matched pairs for a little fun?
4) Is today tomorrow? (ME: No, tomorrow is tomorrow, and tomorrow, today will be yesterday...see?) Cole: No. You said we would go to Sparkles "tomorrow" and we're going to sparkles NOW, so it MUST be "tomorrow" right? (Side note: Now I totally understand that saying "tomorrow never comes"...)

Cole and Carson also LOVE the hymn-y praise song "I Love You, Lord" - here's the lyrics...

I love You, Lord
And I lift my voice...
to worship you...
Oh, my soul!
Rejoice!
Take joy, my King,
in what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound...
in Your ear.

Ever since Carson was a teeny baby, she will calm down when I sing that song to her, it's very slow and melodic and *I* am at peace when I sing it, so I know that helps. Well, last night, Cole requested "that song you were singing to Carsie" (he sits in there sometimes when I'm singing to Carsie) and I said "which one?" (I sing like 5-6 songs to her every night) and he said "The one about Grandmomma"??? What?

So I said which one? And he said "The one about JOY!" (My mom's name is Joy...) and it hit me that the words are..."Take JOY, my King...in what you hear" - Ah, riddle solved, but then Cole wants to know WHERE some KING is taking his Grandmomma...and thus began the conversation about how God is the King of Heaven and then 8 million questions about whether God wears a crown and sits on a real throne, and if Poppy gets to visit God's castle for birthday cake and hot tea. Hmmm...to have the imagination and logic of this child.

Happy Hump Day!!!

he he - hump day...

When I lived in Macon (for seven years!!!) there was a radio DJ on one of the stations there named Rick Knight and he always said (on Wednesdays) that it was the beginning of the "downhill slide to the weekend" - AMEN! to that...

I just had that brief period of wild confusion yesterday. It was actually related to a specific incident - but I've decided to just let that go and not let it worry me or control my life.

In any event, it is indeed the beginning of the downhill slide to the weekend, but I am covered up for the rest of the week with work...today I am not too too busy with outside stuff, just a little city court hearing at 12:45...and then I have to start working on getting pleas and other things in order for Friday's big arraignment calendar, and then next week I have just a couple little probation revokation hearings, but I have to start working on the August 7 trial calendar, too. Man, you finish one huge trial calendar and you're already onto the next one, ya know? I do love my job, in case you hadn't heard.

I have no plans for the weekend (though my domestic strike MUST end, because I need to sweep and mop and clean toilets, and it's best to do that without preschoolers around.) I may help my friend Karen paint at her new house, I love to paint...and I may (once I get everything sorted with the laundry and cleaning) finally pull out my sewing machine. But, it's probably unlikely, still. I can't get motivated with that right now for some reason.

Well, love and sunshine to everyone. Happy hump day!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Well Hell's Bells...

I'm confused. I won't go into it... and it's not just one thing. Personally, professionally, monetarily, parentally...being a grown-up isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes. ugh.

Tomorrow the sun will shine, though, and I will totally be able to see clearly, I'm sure.

Friday, July 11, 2008

TGIF - MOVIE NIGHT!

YAY! This is the first Friday in a few weeks that I will have C & C with me and we're having movie night...which is a pretty standard Friday night thing for us...but we've missed it for several weeks in the madness.

We're making homemade pizza (as standard for movie night), camping out on the living room floor/couch and chillin' with our bad selves.

Tomorrow is swimming and lunch with my sweet Nannie in Dallas. TGIF. That's all I know for the day. Hope y'all have a good one!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Bad Hair Days = Annie Oakley

So, I'm not having the best hair day. In my defense, I knew this was the first day in many that I wouldn't have to go to court - so I took a shower last night and (GASP!) didn't blow dry my hair. And I woke up with total banshee wildness. SO, rather than re-wetting it and drying it (which would defeat the time-saving purpose of taking the shower last night), I just pulled it back. Now, I have short hair - like barely chin length - so to actually GET it all pulled back requires TWO pigtails instead of a ponytail...and I pulled out my old fave standby straight leg jeans to wear with my pink gingham girly button down shirt.

I look cute, I think. But then a second look in the mirror and my thought is "It is totally inappropriate for a 30 year old woman to be wearing pigtails." And then I thought, ah - well stuff it. Who cares. But I've gotten a ton of compliments, but the best one was "Where's your gun, Annie Oakley?"

Why is it that all I have to post about lately is hair and fashion? Hmmmm....

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

For the love of knit jersey...

If you are keeping up, you know I wore a black suit yesterday - pants suit...

Well, I got word that "Sparkles" (the local indoor inflatable jumping-gym place) was open to the public on Tuesdays and your whole brood could be admitted for the low low price of $5. So, I truck on over to Sparkles after picking up C & C Music Factory from daycare, pay the $5 (plus another one b/c we needed to purchase socks since it's summer and we were all in sandals) I put my own cute little white gym socks on (with my slightly-too-long pants - which is why I was wearing the super-high heels yesterday) and jump - in my suit pants - in the bouncy house with my kidlets. GOOD TIMES!

Then, we headed to Zaxby's. I order:
JJ: "Three kiddie fingerz meals, please..."
Chicka: "Will that be all?"
JJ: "Yeah, three kiddie fingerz."
Chicka: "OK, your total is $3.18."
(ADMISSION: I suck at math, which is why I'm a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that 3 kiddie meals @ $3+ each is more than $3.18...)
JJ: "No. I need THREE kiddie meals."
Chicka: "I got it. Three meals is $3.18."
???
Chicka: "OH! You didn't know...tonight is $0.99 kids meal night."

WOO HOO!!!! Can you believe my luck?!?!?

So anyway - it was a good evening. But I stayed up too late...after I got the kids in bed (finally!!! at 9pm!!!) I read my book, had a glass of wine, and took a shower and suddenly it was midnight? How did that happen?

So today, because I neglected to iron anything to wear to court this morning (I'm on strike from all domestic work...by the way), I pull out my old standdby favorite dress. Short flutter sleeve black w/ white print knit jersey wrap dress. Max Studio. I have 4 - yes, 4 - of these Max Studio knit jersey dresses (different prints...). No panty hose required, throw on a shortish black linen jacket and some cute heeled sandals...fab-o...

My house really needs to be cleaned. If I had a spare $60, I'd call Yolanda...sigh. Being on strike is nice, except for the consequences...alas.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Feelin' Hot - hot - hot...

I love summer, don't you. You wake up in the morning and the sun is already a-shinin' at 6:00 am...the birds are singing...you enjoy coffee on the back porch and your children tell you about their sleepy-time dreams last night (which, by the way, included spiderman and cowboy Cole and the itsy-bitsy-spider having a party.)

Then it's 8:50 am and you're dressed in your (unlined) BLACK pants suit, super-high stilettos (no stockings), and you take your jacket off for the 2 block walk to the courthouse....and the minute you leave your frigid dungeon office, you're sweating already. HOT HOT HOT. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HOT!?!?!? Ah, but then you enter the courtroom, and thanks to the glisten on your forehead (and every other inch of skin) and the thermostat set to 40 degrees because the judge is hot...your teeth are chattering.

Alas. That's really all I have to say today. It's hot. I am too hot to think of anything else, really.

Monday, July 7, 2008

And the verdict is in...

On my first criminal jury trial. GUILTY they say!!! (Though, in all honesty - the girl was charged with battery and she admits to biting the "victim"...so really, she is guilty, no?) Ah, well - it was a satisfying day nonetheless. Jury selection, opening statements, cross-examinations and jury charges...fun times right here in River City.

And tomorrow is another...have I mentioned that I love my job? For you JB mommas that may be reading - a big SHOUT OUT to you...I miss you guys TERRIBLY!!! I have no idea what is going on with everyone and it's killing me seriously...so comment and tell me what is going on. It's not excoboard, but I'm starving for a little JB Juice ;)

So, now I'm off to (finally) fill out Cole's paperwork for "school" at Berry in August...and hit the Starbucks on the way, courtesy of Cheeky Mary (thanks babe) and then come back and meet with my homeless client (you know - the one under the bridge) and try to talk him into pleading guilty. Poor guy. The prosecutor has a video of him doing what he's charged with doing (taking a cash deposit) and he says there was no money in that envelope....of course. Tsk, tsk...

More updates - lots of fun - right here in River City...stay tuned!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Sunday Sunday Sunday...

It's a beautiful day. The sun is SHINING, the birds are singing...and where am I? In my dungeon office...alas. I'm not upset to be here, I'm actually glad for the diversion. I have jury trials tomorrow...and of course, if you've been keeping up, you realize I've only been at this job 3 weeks - and both of the folks that had cases on tomorrow's calendar are...well...they're severely injured. That leaves me.

I will have help...thank GOD...but I was here yesterday for a few hours figuring out the witnesses, talking to my girl (defendant), etc.

I am going to pick up my children in a couple hours from Daddy. Sounds like they had a fun weekend swimming and playing and today is their Mema's birthday, so they are having a little party with her this afternoon. I missed them, but MAN the time off is nice. (Of course, it's really only "time off" if you get to NOT be at work...which is where I am on this glorious Sunday afternoon...)

I still haven't been to the grocery store...correction - I went to the grocery store - our fancy new re-hauled Kroger, which has it's own Sushi chef and a Starbucks right inside (and here you thought I lived in a small town ;) ) - and, well, I've been craving sushi (real sushi, mind you - not Kroger sushi) for a couple weeks, but we don't have a good sushi establishment. Thus, I invite a friend to dinner to eat sushi Saturday night. Said friend is unavailable after all - and it's like 8pm on a Saturday night and all I've eaten all day is a handful of Nilla Wafers and a large coke and Gosh-Durn-It, I'm gonna have me some sushi...so I troll on over to the Kroger and buy me some $6 sushi (philly roll) and a bottle of Chardonnay (tee hee) and rent movies from the Movie Cube (I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Stranger Than Fiction) and head back to the house. Needless to say, it was looking to be a nice evening. However...I get home, open my pre-packaged yumminess (sushi, not wine...) and find there is NO SOY SAUCE in the little packets! I look in the fridge. Nope. No soy sauce. How the HECK can you eat a philly roll w/out soy?

So I call neighbor friend Holly - Holly has soy sauce. (When I say "neighbor" - she lives 1/4 mile down the road - but hey, I live in the boonies) - I go pick up the necessary brown nectar and she gives me some ice cold bottle of something alcoholic. It was that Smirnoff Ice stuff (Lime flavored) - MAN it was good, but I was hot and thirsty and keep in mind the Nilla Wafers had been at 3pm and it's now like 8:30...and I still had to drive the 1/4 mile back home. Anyway, I watched stranger than fiction, enjoyed my sushi (never opened the wine, though) and went to sleep...got up at 9am and made coffee, cleaned my house (a little, anyway) and now I'm back at the office...

for a minute - and then I'm SERIOUSLY headed to the grocery store. I have a list and everything. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

You knew it was coming...

The "I hate my job" post...ok, ok, so I don't actually "hate" my job at all. However - here's the scoop...It's 8:35. I have a LONG criminal trial calendar call (80+ cases) at 9:00 (the courthouse is across the street...) My boss - THE Circuit Public Defender got a nasty dog bite on his face on Monday - and has been out with stitches and other issues. His trial partner, who we will call "Bill" (because that is, in fact his name) - has been helping me handle all the cases and court appearances this week. Fine.

So, I get here this morning with my bucket o' files for the huge long calendar call, run into our investigator, who we will call "Larry" (because that is, in fact, his name...) - and Larry says "Did you hear? Mr. Bill fell on the steps on the way out last night and has broken his hip!" Oh. My. Holy. Oats. So, that leaves...ME - brand new little girl at the PD's office with an 80+ list of cases at the calendar call. However, phew - to the rescue comes the REST of my office. There are now 4 of us going over there today to handle all these cases. I am freaked, but glad that I have so much help here. OK - so I don't hate my job...I do love it after all.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Teardrops on my Guitar

Yeah - still obsessed with this song...gimme a break. I'm a loony toon.

And I have to give credit for the fabulous photo in my profile (2 of those three munchkins are mine, the other is my sweet friend's daughter...) - the photo was taken at Sportsman's Lake Park in Cullman by my super-awesome fabulous photographer mommy friend Grethel Van Epps - http://grethelvaneppsphotography.blosgpot.com - thanks, G.

Tuesday Drudgery

Tuesdays are the weirdest day of the week, I think. I read somewhere once that, in the business world, Tuesday is the most productive day for workers. I have a hard time with Tuesdays, I guess I am more productive, and I'm busy - but when Tuesday is over, I have a hard time keeping motivation for Wednesday, Thursday & Friday...luckily this is a short week.

I had court this morning. I have court this afternoon. Have I mentioned that I really like my job? If I haven't...I REALLY LIKE MY JOB. (Note to my faithful readers: tomorrow, when the Post is titled "I hate my job..." remind me that I REALLY LIKE MY JOB, ok?)

My to-do list:
1. get another cup of coffee
2. figure out who else I need to subpoena for next week's trial calendar
3. go to Berry and fill out Cole's paperwork (again)
4. eat lunch (this is optional...)
5. check w/ my real estate agent about the showings of my house this week
6. go to the grocery store (yeah, that's been on the to-do list for...oh, 3 weeks now...but I'm officially out of wine ;) )
7. take kids to Rome Braves game tonight - there are FIREWORKS tonight!

Oh, and speaking of the Rome Braves - www.romebraves.com - I LOVE that both of my children are "4 & under" because tickets to the grass out in right field (called "Homerun Hill") are $4, and children 4 & under are FREE and that means all three of us can go to the Rome Braves game for a grand total of $4 (that is, until you factor in two giant foam #1 fingers (@$5/each x 2=$10, a couple drinks @ $2, and then a couple more because they don't have tops and straws, so my preschoolers tend to spill them...oh, and the popcorn and the ice cream, and the ball caps, too....)

I still have no plans for the holiday weekend. Well, except Weinerfest '08 in West Rome - but that'll be over before supper time on Friday...gotta find something up to fill up my kid-free weekend.

Have a great one!
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